


Fainting and Secrets

by ZDcookie_996



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Fainting, Helmut Marko Finds out about the Relationship, Jock finds out about the relationship, M/M, Post Singapore 2019, Protective Max, Secret Relationship, Team Principals find out, Worried Engineers, Worried Seb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25343815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZDcookie_996/pseuds/ZDcookie_996
Summary: When Charles faints during a team debrief, it threatens to reveal his relationship with Max.
Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen
Comments: 16
Kudos: 194





	1. Things Are Heating Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Another story uploaded! This one is set Post Singapore Grand Prix 2019 where the teams are having their post race debriefs. Charles has been unwell in the lead up to the race and with the heat in Singapore, things go from bad to worse. Cue a concerned Max and a worried Seb featuring team principals who are clueless to what is going on. Most of the drivers are aware of the relationship between the two drivers. I hope you all enjoy this and please leave any prompts in the comments. Take care everyone!

Max caught sight of Charles walking through the paddock in the direction of the Ferrari motorhome for the race debrief. He didn’t look well which didn’t help when the young driver had been feeling unwell in the lead up to the race and was now battling against the stifling Singapore heat. He wanted to wrap him up in his arms and take him home to look after him. Unfortunately, both of them were going to be busy with post race debriefs before they could even think about the journey home. He just had to let Charles get on. The young Monegasque had repeatedly told him that he was fine and although he didn’t believe him, Charles was as stubborn as anything. He made his way to the Red Bull motorhome to get on with debrief, the sooner it was over, the quicker he could head to the airport. 

Charles was beginning to regret keeping quiet. He had told both Andrea and Max on multiple occasions over the course of the weekend that he was alright but now he wasn’t. The heat in Singapore didn’t help matters, nor the fact that he had pushed hard during the race to transform his pole position into a win. In the end, it was Seb who won and he wanted to be happy for his teammate, he really did, but he couldn’t help but think that the team had gifted Seb with the win. That didn’t matter right now. All he wanted to do was to go home and rest for a bit before going to Russia. Instead, he had to go to debrief. He was glad that the team had celebrated earlier after he and Seb had finished with the press but right now he was feeling tired and he was feeling very hot. His lack of concentration was not noticed in the debrief by any of the engineers or even Mattia. The only person who noticed was Seb and that was only because the German had become determined to keep an eye on his young teammate when he realised he had been feeling unwell. Seb was sitting across from him at the table and was clearly aware that his expression and posture screamed ‘exhaustion’. He was sitting with his elbows propped up on the table whilst resting his head in his hands. It was too hot even if he was wearing shorts and a polo top. He had finished his drink in quick succession and immediately felt thirsty. 

“What do you think, Charles?”

Charles swallowed nervously. He had been asked a question and he had no idea what it was because his mind couldn’t focus. He felt guilty as he heard a frustrated sigh beside him. The question was repeated and he made sure to give some form of answer, he was past the point of caring whether it was an answer that they wanted to hear. He couldn’t look at Seb. He could sense his teammate staring at him and he didn’t want that. Debrief seemed to go on forever. Charles found himself constantly running a hand over his forehead to wipe the sweat away having forgotten to put his cap back on. He began to feel dizzy even though he was sitting down. He had to get out of there but he didn’t just want to abandon debrief. Water. He needed water. 

“I need to get some water.” He mumbled.

He wasn’t actually sure if anyone heard him, he was too busy trying to get up out of his seat which was taking more effort than normal. It wasn’t until he was standing on his feet that he lurched forward and his hands slapped down on the table to steady himself. He didn’t pay any attention to Jock who had grabbed his arm or Seb who had got out of his seat and was making his way towards him. More sweat began to build around his head and he shakily lifted a hand to wipe it off. He felt dreadful, he knew he needed to sit down but his body refused to co-operate and it all became too much as his legs buckled and he slumped to the ground.

“Charles?”

“Charles!”

“Oh my god, what’s wrong with him?” 

There was a mixture of shouting in English and Italian but Charles couldn’t hear them as he was passed out on the floor. 

Seb immediately threw himself on the ground beside his teammate and checked his pulse. It was racing.

“We need to get a medic.”

“Someone get some ice packs!”

Seb paid no attention to the chaos around him as engineers raced around the room, others panicking. His only concern was the young man lying on the floor. Charles looked exhausted and Seb cursed internally knowing that he should have said something before debrief. He lifted a hand to feel Charles’ forehead. He flinched and withdrew his hand as the skin was burning. Jock turned to look at him.

“He has a fever. His forehead is burning.” Seb informed him.

“Should we call an ambulance?” Jock asked.

Seb knew that Charles wouldn’t want to go to a hospital and he was aware that other drivers in the same situation would feel the same. He shook his head.

“We can see if and when he wakes up. He just needs rest. We can see if he’ll be alright for the flight. I don’t think the weather helped and he hasn’t been feeling well recently anyway.” Suggested Seb.

Jock frowned.

“You mean to say he’s been ill and you kept it quiet?” He asked, frustrated.

Seb almost rolled his eyes.

“It wasn’t for me to tell, I didn’t think it was this bad.” He said quietly.

He could only hope that the young Monegasque would wake up soon so they could judge if he would be alright for the flight. He hoped so because it would be a long flight back to Monaco but at least Charles would have Max for company. His eyes went wide as he thought about Max. He looked around the room then back down at Charles.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” He said abruptly as he jumped to his feet.

Jock looked confused.

“Where are you going?” He asked.

Seb ignored him as well as Mattia who had been standing in the corner having been silent during the whole thing. He quickly made his way towards the Red Bull motorhome, praying that Max was still there. He didn’t care that some of the staff gave him strange looks as he was completely the odd one out in red rather than in Red Bull covers. Everyone got the fright of their lives when Seb burst into the room.

“Seb?” Christian asked in concern.

The German’s eyes scanned the room before they fell onto the person he was looking for.

“Max, I need you.”

Max stood up in confusion but Helmut glared at his ex driver for the intrusion.

“Sebastian, we are not finished with our debrief, Max is going nowhere.” He said firmly.

Max frowned as he looked at Seb, the German looking back at him.

“It’s urgent.” He said frantically.

Max moved quickly and left the room with Seb knowing that the Ferrari driver wouldn’t burst into another’s team’s debrief without an invite if it wasn’t an emergency. He ignored the calls from both Christian and Marko. Seb grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the motorhome and down the paddock.

“Seb, what’s going on?” He asked impatiently.

The German stopped for a moment and looked at him seriously.

“Charles fainted during debrief.”

Max looked at him with wide eyes and said nothing as Seb tightened his grip and dragged him quickly towards the Ferrari motorhome. Neither driver paid attention to the mutters and looks from the staff in the motorhome. Seb led Max towards the debrief and let go of his arm.

“Fuck.”

Max fell to the floor beside Charles and pulled him up into his arms, he swallowed thickly as Charles felt like a dead weight, his head flopping on Max’s shoulder.

“Charles? Come on, babe, you have to wake up. Charles!” Max called frantically.

The young driver remained unconscious and the remaining engineers began to leave the room when Seb turned to glare at them. Jock had backed away slightly when Max came into the room and Seb was surprised to see Mattia still there.

“Why is Max here?” Jock asked.

Max didn’t answer, too busy patting Charles’ cheek in an attempt to wake him up and Seb ignored him in favour of keeping his eye on his teammate.

“Sebastian.”

The German finally looked over at him and shook his head. He rolled his eyes when Jock glared at him.

“Has anyone called for a medic?” Questioned Max.

“Yes, but what I want to know is what are you doing here?” Jock repeated.

“I’m his boyfriend.” Stated Max firmly.

He stared at Jock daring the older man to challenge him. Jock just stared back at him, not knowing what to say. Max looked back down at Charles. Seb sighed from where he was standing behind the two drivers on the floor. Many of the drivers on the grid were aware of the relationship between Max and Charles but the teams didn’t know and neither did the press or fans. The German wasn’t entirely a fan of Max from previous racing experiences but at the end of the day, they were happy and as long as they loved each other, he could keep it a secret for them. It was why he went and grabbed Max. The Dutchman was aware that Charles had been feeling unwell and Seb knew that he had to tell him before Ferrari rushed him to a hospital. 

Before Jock could even think about questioning Max any further, Charles stirred slightly in his boyfriend’s arms.

“Charles?” Asked Max softly.

Charles sluggishly opened his eyes and immediately regretted it as he still felt so exhausted.

“Wha?” He slurred.

Max frowned and brushed a few loose strands of Charles’ hair away from his face. He was still feeling hot but it hadn’t gotten any worse. Seb grabbed a bottle of water that one of the engineers must have grabbed and uncapped it before gently nudging Max’s arm. The Dutchman turned and took the bottle.

“Here, have a few sips.” He said gently.

He lifted the bottle to Charles’ lips, sighing when the younger man tried to chug the water in one go.

“Slowly.” He insisted.

Charles felt annoyed but listened to his boyfriend and slowed down the drinking. It felt good and refreshing. When he had had enough, he tiredly pushed the bottle away. Max moved it away and Seb took it back. The Dutchman tightened his grip on his boyfriend and sighed when he felt Charles’ clutch onto the front of his polo top.

“You scared me.” He murmured.

“I’m sorry.” Whispered Charles.

Max leaned down to kiss Charles’ forehead.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone you were sick? You should have listened to me.”

Charles slumped further into Max’s arms.

“I thought it would go away. I wanted to drive, I didn’t think they would let me if I said anything.” He said quietly. 

Max shook his head and rested his chin against the dark brown locks. Charles felt himself drift off again, still feeling very tired but he unfortunately couldn’t fall asleep as he heard the sound of rushing footsteps.

“What is going on here?”

Max swallowed nervously. It was Christian. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. He hadn't told his team about his relationship with Charles but now it would be obvious to Christian that something was going on with his so called rival who was cradled in his arms. No one moved. No one spoke. 

They all turned in surprise when they heard someone clearing their throat.

“Did someone call for a medic?”


	2. Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Team Principals reaction to Charles and Max's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I've finally managed to add another chapter to this story! This is the final chapter where the team principals, Jock and Helmut react to Charles and Max's relationship. This is also after Charles has fainted so there is a bit of confrontation especially on Helmut's part. I have to point out that I completely forgot that Russia was 1 week after Singapore last year and I had already put in the first chapter about a flight home so just imagine that they will fly home to Monaco before going off to Russia because I have no clue what they actually did last year in relation to travelling. I hope you all enjoy this, I know a few people wanted another chapter and a few people asked for Charles protecting Max from Helmut so I hope this delivers. Please leave any comments and prompts and take care!

The medic had forced everyone to leave the room but let Max stay after he demanded so she didn’t argue but insisted that the Ferrari team let their driver be treated. That left Jock, Mattia, Sebastian, Christian and Helmut standing outside whilst they waited to speak to their drivers. It was awkward to say the least.

“Did any of you know about this?” Helmut asked seriously.

Everyone shook their heads. Whilst Max had remained quiet when Christian had asked what was going on, it was pretty obvious that Max wasn’t holding onto Charles for the fun of it. There was something going on. 

“It’s a surprise I must say.” Jock said.

Helmut glared at him.

“It’s not a surprise, it’s a joke. This can’t happen. We can’t allow this.” He insisted.

It was now Jock’s turn to glare at the older man.

“Why?” He asked curiously.

Helmut looked at him with wide eyes.

“What do you mean why? They are rivals. Max is battling for the championship, he shouldn’t have any distractions.” He replied angrily.

Jock scoffed.

“I’ll have you know that both Max and Charles are fighting for the championship and I don’t see this as a problem considering it’s obvious they’ve been in a relationship for a while and they’ve battled on track many times and it’s not caused any problems so far.” He stated.

“We don’t have Max to have any distractions. He might not have any issues now but he could in the future. They’re both young, they can find someone else to be with, which is what they should be doing after they’ve won championships.” Helmut shot back.

“Helmut, they’ve clearly kept this a secret for so long and they have their reasons. Just leave them be.” Jock tried to argue.

Helmut looked furious.

“No! I will not allow this! Max should be focusing on the championship, not on the Ferrari prince! If he insists on being with him, it’s only going to cause issues, what if the media finds out? Have you thought about that? They’ll have a field day, they’ll watch their every move. We can’t have any distractions!” He shouted angrily.

There was a moment of silence as Jock and Helmut glared at each other. It wasn’t until Sebastian cleared his throat that the attention was taken away from the two older men and placed on the driver.

“Jock is right though. There have been no problems so far and when they are on the track, they are battling for podiums and positions. They are two mature young men who seem to know what they are doing. The media doesn’t know, I’m pretty sure no one in the paddock knows. They know to be careful, who knows how long they've been in a relationship for?” Seb pointed out.

Helmut turned his glare from Jock to Seb.

“It is not possible for these two drivers to be in a relationship, it will not work. They are driving for Red Bull and Ferrari. We are fighting in a championship. We do not have the time to be dealing with things like this.” He said gravely.

Seb snorted. Helmut looked close to blowing a blood vessel as he couldn’t understand why Seb found this situation amusing. 

“They aren’t going to break up for anyone. Max clearly cares a lot for Charles and I personally believe that if you try and pull them apart that they’ll find their way back to each other when your back is turned.” Seb said seriously.

“You knew about this didn’t you?” Helmut asked.

“Most of the drivers know but we don’t talk about it much to protect them from the media. They try and stay out of each other's way at races and the only reason I came to find Max was because I was concerned about Charles.” Seb didn’t even try to deny it.

“Who else knows?” Helmut asked hesitantly.

“Only their families and the drivers and now you guys here, probably the engineers who were in debrief earlier. The fans and the media don’t know but if the fans know its based on theories rather than Max or Charles telling them.” Replied Seb.

Helmut shook his head in disbelief.

“You are all too calm about this.” He muttered.

Jock scoffed.

“What do you want us to do because I’m pretty sure screaming and shouting about it isn’t going to help.” Jock pointed out. 

Helmut turned and looked at Mattia who had yet to say a word.

“You’ve been very quiet, Mattia. What’s your opinion on this?” He asked.

Mattia crossed his arms over his chest as he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he sighed.

“I don’t know what to think, that’s all I can say. I’m disappointed that Charles couldn’t tell us but then again it’s no surprise that he’d want to keep something like that a secret.” He said honestly.

“I can’t believe you’re all so calm about this, it’s unbelievable. Back me up here, Christian.” Helmut laughed mockingly.

The Brit stayed silent and had actually remained silent when Helmut called his name as he just leaned against the wall. The older man turned to look at him.

“Christian?”

Before he could say anything else, the medic opened the door and stepped out, closing the door behind her. She looked at each of the men as she could see that they were about to advance so they could question the drivers. She sighed.

“Charles is suffering from dehydration and has been showing signs of heat stroke from the hot temperatures here in Singapore. He’s sitting up and chatting now, he seems to be doing much better since he woke up, everything just took its toll. I’ve advised that he keeps hydrated and rests well ahead of the next grand prix and he should possibly seek advice with the medical team upon his arrival there as we don’t want a repeat of this. I know that Charles has a flight later but it is important that he avoids stress and looks after himself. I can visit him later or before he travels if I am needed but he should be alright. Just keep an eye on him.” She stated firmly.

No one said a word and the medic looked at them all one last time before she nodded and left them all standing in the corridor. It wasn’t long before Helmut grabbed a hold of the door handle and yanked it open before barging into the room, followed quickly by the other 4 men. Charles was sitting in the seat he had previously sat in at the start of debrief, a bottle of water in front of him and Max was sitting on the right hand side of him, hand on his back as he gazed at him with concern. Max jumped in his seat when Helmut burst into the room, a face of thunder. 

“Do you want to explain to me what the hell is going on?” Helmut demanded as he stood next to the table. 

Max swallowed nervously as Charles tiredly looked at him.

“Charles and I are dating.” He said quietly.

Helmut slammed a hand down on the table which caused both Max and Charles to flinch. Seb immediately went and stood behind Charles over concern that Helmut was going to cause a big argument or do something stupid. Christian, Jock and Mattia moved to stand in front of the table across from the couple and the young drivers could see Jock and Christian keeping their eye on Helmut.

“You can’t be serious, this is a joke.” Helmut said in a low voice.

Max looked furious. 

“This isn’t a joke to us. You might not agree with it but I care about Charles a lot and I love him so there’s nothing you can do about it. We heard you outside and I’m not letting you tear us apart.” He shouted angrily.

Seb placed a calming hand on Max’s shoulder as a silent warning that he needed to tone down his voice. The Dutchman turned to look up at the German before taking a deep breath then looked back over at Helmut who wasn’t done arguing.

“Love? You don’t know what love is. You can easily grab another guy or a girl in the future. You don’t need this now, Max. He’s just a distraction.” Scoffed Helmut.

“It’s not caused any problems yet though. It’s not front page news and the drivers don’t have a problem with it. We fight it out on track because we’re racers. It doesn’t enter our minds that we’re in a relationship when we’re battling one another. I don’t see what the problem is.” Max argued.

“The problem is that you are dating a rival and you are distracted from your job which is to drive and win championships.” Helmut shot back.

“I need a Mercedes car to win championships, we can’t win anything any time soon.” Replied Max impatiently.

Charles raised a hand to his head and whimpered as the arguing was causing his head to pound. Max looked at him in concern and rubbed his hand over his back.

“Are you okay, Charlie?” He asked softly.

Charles shook his head slightly.

“I don’t want any arguing.” He replied quietly.

Jock cleared his throat.

“Maybe we should leave this for another day. Charles has to rest.” He said.

“No, we need to have this discussion now.” Helmut refused to back down.

Charles raised his head to look up at him, a look of determination of his face.

“Max has done everything for you. He’s achieved podiums and wins and yet he doesn’t have the fastest car on track but he pushes it to the limit. We’ve been dating since before Christmas last year and no one knew until we were caught by Pierre. We got the drivers together at the briefing in Monaco and we told them. They promised not to say anything and we’re so grateful because they’re supportive and some of them aren’t bothered as long as we just stick to racing on the track. Look, we’re sorry we didn’t say anything but we’re not ready for the fans and everyone else to know about us yet which is why we’ve kept quiet but surely you can understand that. It’s not like I’m dating any guy, I’m dating a driver and a rival. I care a lot about Max and even if we get blackmailed or if anyone tries to sack us, you won’t tear us apart. I’m not leaving him. If you try and fire him, you’ll be making a big mistake because Max is a brilliant driver and he’s pushing the team hard. I won’t let you get rid of him and I won’t let you break us up.” He told everyone firmly.

There was silence in the room as everyone digested what Charles had just said. Helmut looked furiously and fed up at once. Without a word, he left the room and slammed the door behind him. Charles looked nervous and he turned to look at Jock and Mattia.

“He won’t tell anyone will he? I mean, surely he won’t want people to know, it’s going to cause chaos.” He rambled.

Christian sighed.

“I think he just needs a minute to process this. With all due respect boys, we’re in a difficult situation if the press does find out but we will work together if it comes down to that.” He said.

“Are you alright with this?” Asked Max seriously.

“I’m still trying to come to terms with it but you’re both right. We can’t split you up even if we wanted to and you’ve done a good job hiding it so far. If you guys don’t want the media to find out, then it won’t come from us, it should be on your terms which is why I would tell you to be careful but you’ve done a good job already.” Christian said.

Max and Charles let out quiet sighs of relief however they knew deep down that Helmut was still going to be a problem.

“We’ll need to have a word with the engineers seeing as they were in the debrief earlier in case they think of talking to anyone about it.” Jock stated as he looked at Mattia. 

Christian sighed.

“Yeah, I’ll need to talk to people at Red Bull seeing as Seb interrupted debrief.” He said.

The German remained silent as this wasn’t his argument to get involved in. The main reason he had gone to get Max was because he was concerned about his teammate. Christian had actually called Adrian when the medic had thrown them out to check on Charles to let him know that debrief could continue without himself and Helmut. He wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Helmut but he didn’t have much choice.

“We’re going to have to work together and monitor this in case the media finds out.” Said Christian as he looked over at Jock and Mattia.

He looked back at Max and Charles and nodded then headed towards the door. He stopped and looked over at Max.

“Let me know when you’re leaving. Max. We need to stay in touch.” He said.

Max nodded and Christian left the room, closing the door behind him in complete contrast to the way Helmut had closed it earlier. Jock looked over at the couple then back at Mattia who had gone quiet again. 

“I’ll go and have a word with the engineers. Take care of him, Max, please. I know that he likes to push himself too far at times, he needs someone like you to tell him when to stop.” He said quietly.

Charles looked like he wanted to argue as Max smirked but he was too tired and just sighed in defeat. Jock left the room and Mattia was left standing on his own. 

“Mattia?” Charles asked nervously.

The taller man looked at him and sighed.

“You better hope this doesn’t come out, boys. It would be the biggest bombshell in the paddock.” He warned.

He sighed once more and headed towards the door and left the room without another word. Max and Charles sighed quietly, thinking that it could’ve been worse their teams finding out given that this wasn’t the way they had expected their team principals to find out. They just had to hope that if anyone in the team had figured out what was going on between the two drivers that they would stay quiet about it. The couple only just remembered that Seb was in the room as he patted them both on the shoulder, making them jump.

“I’ll be off just now, have a safe flight.” 

He winked then headed towards the door, pausing as Max called out his name.

“Thank you for coming to get me and for not saying anything, we appreciate it.” He said softly.

Charles gave him a weak smile. Seb just nodded and grinned at them before leaving them alone. Charles let out a deep sigh before he buried his head into Max’s neck. The Dutchman wrapped his arm around Charles’ shoulder and pulled him closer. 

A few hours later and the pair found themselves on the plane back to Monaco. Max was annoying Charles as he kept on making him take a mouthful of water to stay hydrated but the young Monegasque just wanted to sleep. Eventually, Max gave up and let his boyfriend fall asleep against his shoulder as sleep took over him and they were oblivious to their surroundings as they were finally able to relax after a tough day. If Helmut had any plans to inform people about their relationship, it could wait another day although they both knew as well as Christian that it would only give the older man a headache. 

They slept peacefully and in the comfort of one another as their plane flew home before they were off to another race and would eventually face another day of hiding their relationship and coming into contact with their team members and of course, Helmut.


End file.
